User:Bill the Pict2/sandbox

A History of Police Boxes

The police box was a common sight on the streets of many of the larger cities in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century the history of the police box and its application as a revolutionary piece of technology has not, I think been appreciated by the public or the historical community.

Most are familiar with the police box of DR Who, however most would not be able to say that the box used is a copy of the Earls Court exhibition box from 1938. The first true police box that was used as a communications device was created by the City of Glasgow Police in 1890. The city had just expanded its boundaries south of the river Clyde into the areas of Kingston and Gorbals. The Chief Constable of the time had a problem, in that there were few police buildings in these areas and he urgently needed to create some. The result, the Police Box, was modelled on the 1888 Chicago Exhibition fire box, which had a telephone within it that connected to the nearest fire station, the user entered the box and after pulling on a lever was locked in! until released by the fire service (one way to cut down on malicious calls)after receipt of the fire call.

The City of Glasgow Police box system was invented by a fireman Charles Eggars, and 14 of them were commissioned and installed in the enlarged city of Glasgow between 1890-1891. The system was successful initially but as with all Scottish inventions its significance was missed by those that had created it. The box system was added to piecemeal in Glasgow, and was copied by other forces. However it was not until the late 1920's that its capabilities were fully realised.